Tucson: Voices of Patience and Wisdom

When a tragedy like the one in Tucson strikes, most of us would do well to keep silence.

In the eight days since the deadly shootings in Arizona, the nation has been engulfed by a tidal wave of rhetoric and reaction, much of it unnecessary, ungracious, or unfortunate. But amid the flood of words, two voices have spoken with an uplifting decency and grace that should make them memorable long after the hue and cry of the past week has ended.

One of those voices was that of President Obama, whose remarks at the memorial service in Tucson Wednesday night were humane and eloquent, unmarred by the acrimony that has ricocheted back and forth in the political echo chamber. The president spoke movingly about each of the victims whose lives were cut short. He gratefully hailed by name those whose heroism and quick thinking prevented even more lives from being lost. And with no hint of self-interest or rationalization, he urged all Americans not to "use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other."

Obama is the leader of his party and an agile partisan combatant, and there are those who would have him make political hay out of the atrocity in Arizona. Within hours of the killings, Politico was quoting "one veteran Democratic operative" whose advice to the White House was to "deftly pin" the bloodshed in Tucson on the "overheated rhetoric" of conservative activists in the Tea Party.

But the president rose above such sentiments. "Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together."

Obama has been fairly criticized for many things, and many Americans will doubtless have more reasons to fault him as he gears up for re-election over the next two years. But unlike Bill Clinton after Oklahoma City, no one will be able to charge Obama with exploiting the massacre in Tucson for political gain. "More than at any other point in his presidency," wrote one of his fiercest critics, former George W. Bush aide Pete Wehner, following the memorial service, "Mr. Obama was president of all the people and spoke beautifully for them."

Not even the president, however, could match the goodness, dignity, and large-heartedness of John Green, whose 9-year-old daughter, Christina, was the youngest victim of suspect Jared Loughner's rampage.

Speaking through tears as he was interviewed on NBC's "Today" show and on the Fox News Channel, Christina's father refused to pin his daughter's murder on the "climate of hate" and "vitriolic rhetoric" so many others were eager to indict. Unlike the local sheriff who seized the moment to smear Arizona as "a Mecca for prejudice and bigotry," John Green said the killings were "such a random act, such a rare thing to happen in Tucson, Arizona, which is a wonderful city -- and the northwest side is a wonderful community."

The chattering class spent much of the past week calling for new laws and tighter regulations. There were proposals for -- among other things -- a ban on carrying guns within 1,000 feet of a member of Congress; resurrecting the long-discredited broadcast Fairness Doctrine; funding more outpatient clinics to treat the mentally ill; and prohibiting ammunition clips that hold more than 10 rounds. John Green endorsed none of them. "We don't need any more restrictions on our society," he said. New laws and limitations cannot prevent every horror, and if we want to live "in a country like the United States, where we are more free than anywhere else, we are subject to things like this happening."

No one would have faulted Green if, in his heartbreak, he had raged against the monster who shot Christina. Instead he expressed gratitude for "the friends and family we have surrounded ourselves with in this tragedy," and added, with almost incomprehensible generosity: "If maybe that fellow who was shooting everybody -- if he had had some friends and family around him, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

Like most people, Americans talk too much and think too little, especially when it comes to the sins and sorrows of others. There is "a time to keep silence and a time to speak," Ecclesiastes teaches. When a tragedy like the one in Tucson strikes, most of us would do well to keep silence, and to leave the speaking for those with the humanity and wisdom to say something meaningful.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 14

(14)
Evelyn,
January 28, 2011 12:13 AM

Words of edification

Hundreds are injured and killed by others but there is no one to speak kind words about them nationally. I wish that we held every life as valuable and were as distressed as we have been about Mrs. Giffords.

(13)
Ari Scholnik,
January 21, 2011 2:16 PM

Interesting

I found it somewhat interesting that you did not mention Miss Gifford's Jewish heritage. It is well known that she one of the Jewish members of Congress and perhaps this attack should remind all of us of the dangers of residing in a state like Arizona.

(12)
Anonymous,
January 18, 2011 8:14 PM

I was stunned when I heard the news. I have thought some things and thought about the rhetoric that may have helped cause this deadly action taken by that young man who is so obviously unbalanced. However, politicians on both sides have in the past used violent rhetoric and I want all of them to just stop it. These pundits who have tv shows with all their bigotry, hate and vitriol perhaps should not have tv shows. Most of us know that they are, the pundits that is, somewhat unbalanced. They do like to ratchet up something, say it on the net or tv news and sit back and watch, listen and spout on some more. If more people looked inside themselves to their very core, perhaps, they would behave differently.

(11)
Rifka,
January 17, 2011 4:34 PM

Great person

That was a great story from a great person.
That father is a role model for EVERYONE!

(10)
Gene,
January 17, 2011 4:49 AM

Tell this to Fox News

Sean Hannity, evidently bored by the fact that he has been told not to attack Liberals and Democrats this week, went after Kuwait instead. Said we should take over Kuwait and just take all its oil. Wasn't this tried by Saddam Hussein? Don't we have troops there and don't we need the good will of the Kuwaitis in case a conflict with Iran breaks out? I do not think silence is appropriate when we are dealing with bullies.

(9)
Yehoshua,
January 17, 2011 2:24 AM

What threatens really threatens the US?

Thank you for the heart felt article.
I alway try to find the most logical balanced view. Alex Jones with his documentaries and radio program, knows a lot about the internal workings of politics, without getting emotionally carried away, or confused. I think if you looked into the facts he presents you would have a better understanding of events, and politics in america. I just watched a excellent episode with him about floride and other chemical in the water, as well as gm foods.

(8)
Rocky,
January 16, 2011 9:21 PM

The Father spoke from the heart

The Father of a murdered child speaks from the heart. The President of the United States said nothing any other (closet) Muslim would not say. He said nothing only a Jew or Christian could say that would be against his true faith.

(7)
Dasha18,
January 16, 2011 8:26 PM

Factual analysis

The discourse I am desperate to hear is an analysis of causes and preventions that is fact based , as best as possible, such as, after the release of mentally ill from institutions without proper support, x crimes occured, after the showing of an extremely violent movie (Carrie?) y occurred, x number of early release criminals committeed y crimes, x criminals on crack committed y crimes. It is never too soon for this type of fact based analysis which should also include constitutionally acceptable remedies.

(6)
Anonymous,
January 16, 2011 7:47 PM

Thank your for this beautiful article.

(5)
Peter Logan,
January 16, 2011 7:02 PM

So true -- beautifully said by Obama and Green. I hope that comments to follow will be kind and affirmative.
Wars begin with words. So does peace!

(4)
ruth housman,
January 16, 2011 6:31 PM

shooting stars

It is true, that useless rhetoric and rhetoric that seizes the moment, as in aggrandizes others politically is so wrong in the wake of such a terrible event. I do agree, but I also feel, when something really bad happens in our society, it's not wrong to think about elements that do make it easier to hurt, such as gun possession. All is not well in the state of any state, and I think that state meants about love, about kindness and prevention of all kinds, are also OK and maybe important, because yes, we do re evaluate what is, when something really upsetting happens, wherever we are.

(3)
Deborah,
January 16, 2011 3:42 PM

Thank you

I live in Tucson. I know Gabby Giffords, and my mother was friends with Phyllis Schneck. It has been a difficult week and I want to thank Mr. Jacoby for his non-political artical. There is enough greif in Tucson to fill the ocean. But none of it will heal the wounds that this event caused. HaShem, time and honoring the greif as well as the dead will do this. The act was apolitical, and while there have been some who what to blame it on one side or the other, the majority see this for what it was. There are many people who have reached out to the parents of Mr. Loughner, as well as those who have extended ill wishes. So they are staying out of the picture as much as they can. It is too soon to expect the loved ones of those harmed or killed to be extending much to the Loughner family. But based on what I have seen and heard, most of these families will do so once they heal. Thank you Mr. Jacoby, and all others who have been supportive either in prayers, deeds or anyother way you have been there for us here in Tucson.

(2)
Anonymous,
January 16, 2011 3:39 PM

The President did an excellent job in his speech. It has been the only appropriate thing spoken in the light of this tragedy. As a leader, he put his foot down over the chaos that was sweeping the Internet news. Yes, he will be remembered for his deliverance of words spoken at the right time.

(1)
Alan S.,
January 16, 2011 11:40 AM

I usually agree with what Mr. Jacoby writes, and here too, I like the gist of what he said. I also enjoyed and appreciated what President Obama said. He spoke correctly at the memorial. But, Obama is smart enough to know when to say when, so to speak. He will comment about the broader problems that contributed to this horror at an appropriate time. My problem with Mr. Jacoby's article is giving too much credence to what John Green said. While no one can fault John Green for saying the things he said in his grief, it does not mean his thoughts are rationale. If anything, because he is grieving, we should be extra cautious to automatically think he is correct in his thought process. John Green lives in Arizona where carrying guns -- even concealed -- is perfectly legal. Therefore, he must accept, as he did, these horrific possibilities. However, it does not mean that I must accept them as well. My few comments are not the proper place to discuss gun control. Several of Mr. Green's other comments are also troubling. For instance, from what I've read, the shooters parent's did their best to raise and befriend their mentally ill child. Mr. Green does not one a favor by questioning whether the shooter could have had "friends and family around him". He did. Let's not add to the grief Loughner's parents are also suffering.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!